Leadership Update - A Message from the Elders
This past Sunday we announced the transition of Jonathan Mosier out of the role of teaching pastor at Mercy Hill - Lake Country as he follows God's leading in a new direction in his life and the transition of Kevin Oelke to replace him. Please see the announcements below.
Statement from Jonathan Mosier
Eight and a half years ago God led Jessica and I to Mercy Hill Church. We started attending about 6 weeks after Mercy Hill Lake Country began meeting publicly. Mercy Hill has continued to be home for us since that day. Shortly after we started attending I was given an opportunity to preach, and at the end of 2012 I stepped in as the preaching pastor of Mercy Hill Church Lake Country.
These last years have been sweet and memorable. God has blessed, both us and Mercy Hill, richly in that time. We love Mercy Hill and its people. Jessica and I have been privileged to see people come to know Christ, be baptized, and begin to serve the kingdom at this church. Likewise, my family has been richly blessed and loved by this congregation. You all mean a great deal to us and I cannot adequately express my love and appreciation for the people of Mercy Hill.
I’ve also been thankful for the leaders of Mercy Hill. The elders gave me my first opportunity to preach and minister formally in this church. That’s something for which I will forever be grateful. Their desire is to lead the church well and respond to what the Holy Spirit is leading them to. I’m confident that they will continue to follow God’s calling for the spread of the Gospel and the joy of God’s people.
In the same way, God has also made it clear that he’s moving. God has led the elders of Mercy Hill to their view and approach of a multi-site church. They feel it’s the best way to be effective for the Gospel and to see the Gospel move forward. At the very same time, I feel like God is calling me to lead a church that is structured a bit different, where my particular gifts and callings can play out differently. So I want to be clear, I don’t believe there is anything wrong with the approach that the elders have embraced. In fact, I want to encourage and bless them in that direction, but God is leading me to something different and I feel that I need to step away from Mercy Hill in order to be faithful to do what God is calling me to do in this next stage. Even though God is leading us down different paths, my desire is to be a blessing to the leadership and people of Mercy Hill. So Jessica and I would covet your prayers as we consider this next stage of life and ministry.
March 4th will be my last Sunday at Mercy Hill. Kevin Oelke, the current worship pastor at the Bay View campus, will be replacing me as the preaching pastor. I’ve known Kevin to be a man who loves Jesus, proclaims the Gospel well and deeply cares for those around him. In addition to lending support to Kevin in this time of transition, my encouragement to you is to continue to draw near to those that God has placed around you and continue to faithfully serve God and His Church. Transitions are hard and Satan would love to use this as an opportunity to draw people away from the Father.
We are sad to leave Mercy Hill, but are also confident and excited to see what God has for us in this next stage. The foundation of the Church is Jesus Christ and we are promised that the gates of hell will not prevail against it. Jesus is still on the throne and he is still the Great Shepherd. My prayer is that in this season of transition you would do what we’ve strived to faithfully teach and emulate: to look to Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.
Statement from the Elders
Jonathan and Jessica began attending Mercy Hill Church several years ago when looking for a gospel-centered church. He was raised up here as a leader and pastor and we have seen Jonathan develop in many aspects as he has allowed the Spirit to work in him and as he worked alongside the leaders in this body. We love him dearly as a brother in Christ. He has been a true blessing to us and as a result we now hope to be a true blessing to him and his family as they venture out discerning the Holy Spirit’s leading on their lives.
Jonathan and the elders have been in conversation over the last several months on what this means for the future leadership of Mercy Hill Lake Country. All the elders, along with Jonathan, have confirmed that Kevin Oelke will transition into the role of teaching pastor here in Lake Country. Many of you know Kevin who has served as the worship pastor at Bay View since the inception of Mercy Hill and as he has spent time here in Lake Country both leading in worship and teaching. He has done that from Lake Country's early days, when it was a handful of people meeting Sunday nights at a daycare center in Delafield.
God has been preparing Kevin and his wife Amy to a different role in ministry over this last year. God, in His providence, put the ministry of Lake Country on Kevin's heart in a special way long before he knew that this transition was coming. This change has now been confirmed to Kevin and his family as well as to the elders and we believe he is the pastor God has been preparing to take Jonathan’s place. This move reflects our commitment to follow the Holy Spirit’s directing as he raises up leaders from within Mercy Hill as opposed to going outside this local body. This approach allows us as a church to continue with the same commitment to a philosophy of ministry that makes the teaching of the Gospel central and the building of community essential.
Over the course of the next month Jonathan will be working alongside Kevin to transition him into this role at Lake Country before his departure. We know that transitions like these can be difficult for the many who have developed a strong relationship with Jonathan and so we are trusting the Holy Spirit to guide us through this process and are praying for unity in the body as this happens. We encourage you who call Mercy Hill your home to continue to engage in community and ministry as God leads us all into this next season. We also ask you to continue in fellowship by encouraging and praying for Jonathan and his family as God leads them into their next phase of life. This is what we, the leadership of Mercy Hill, will endeavor to do.
Also join us in prayer that the blessing of God be on Jonathan and His family and that the unity of Christ reign at Mercy Hill for the Glory of God. We, the elders, are all in agreement that the sovereign hand of God has orchestrated this so that His perfect will might be fulfilled in both Jonathan's life and the life of this church. We genuinely are excited to see how God will use this for His Kingdom purposes.
If anyone has any questions or would like to get together to talk with any of us please feel free to email us either at our personal email addresses or at elders@mercyhill.org.